Nootsara Tomkom

Personal: Nootsara has received two royal decorations from former King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand: Commander (Third Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant and Companion (Fourth Class) of the Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn. Her older sister, Nittaya, was her first coach and the inspiration behind her volleyball journey. She lists her father as someone who has made a significant difference in her life. If she were not playing volleyball, Nootsara's passion for food and cooking would have led her to become a chef. Her hobbies include traveling, shopping, and enjoying a variety of cuisines. She wears the No. 13 jersey because it is her lucky number.

2023 Season: Nootsara was named to the All-Position Team in 2023 and placed 13th in the final league standings with 2,529 leaderboard points. She tied for ninth in the league alongside Morgan Hentz with 180 MVP points, earning five Match MVP awards during the season. Serving as a captain in Week One, she led her team to a 2-1 record. She was third in the league with seven double-double performances and ranked fourth in assists, accumulating 423 assists over 43 sets in 15 matches. She also recorded 132 digs, placing eighth in the league in that category. Nootsara achieved 20 or more assists in 11 of her 15 matches, including eight matches with 30 or more assists. She posted three matches with 40 or more assists, including a career-high 48 assists in a match against Team Hentz on November 3. She started the season strong with back-to-back Match MVP honors. She earned MVP 2 status after recording 40 assists and 10 digs in a match against Team Valentin-Anderson. On October 8, she earned MVP 3 honors after contributing 31 assists and seven digs in a match against Team De La Cruz. In Week Three, Nootsara was named MVP 1 after dishing out 32 assists and nine digs in a match against Team Hilley. She continued her standout play in Week Four, receiving MVP 3 recognition after posting 42 assists and eight digs in a match against Team Edmond. Nootsara scored 100 or more leaderboard points in 10 of her 15 matches, including an impressive streak of eight consecutive matches from October 20 to November 5.

2022 Season: Nootsara appeared in all 45 sets during the inaugural Athletes Unlimited season, finishing fifth on the leaderboard with 3,027 points. She recorded eight matches with 200 or more points, including a season-high 310 points against Team Valentin-Anderson in her second-to-last match on April 15. Nootsara ranked second in the league with 533 assists and achieved 10 double-doubles. She also ranked eighth in digs with 146 and ninth in service aces with nine.

Throughout the season, she posted 10 or more digs in nine of her final 13 matches, including three matches with 13 digs over a four-match stretch from March 25 to April 1. She closed out the season with three consecutive matches of 40 or more assists, including 43 assists in the Week Five opener against Team Lichtman. She led the league with five matches of 40 or more assists, reaching a season-high 45 assists in Week Two's opener against Team Valentin-Anderson. In that same match, she recorded 10 digs for her second double-double of the season, earning 279 leaderboard points. Nootsara contributed 232 points in a three-set sweep over Team Drews on April 8, where she tallied 28 assists and eight digs. She posted her third match with 200 or more points in Week Three, earning MVP 2 honors with 35 assists and 13 digs in a win over Team De La Cruz. She set a season high with 13 digs in a double-double performance against Team Stivrins on March 25, where she also tallied 43 assists in a close 71-70 loss. Nootsara recorded her first double-double of the season in Week One's finale against Team De La Cruz, notching 28 assists and 10 digs. Additionally, she contributed 33 assists off the bench in a Week One match against Team McClendon.

Other Professional Experience: Widely regarded as one of the best setters in the world, Nootsara has played professionally since 2007, with stints in Spain, Switzerland, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Thailand. Most recently, she played for Diamond Food Volleyball Club in Saraburi, Thailand. During the 2024 inaugural Pro Volleyball Federation campaign, she played for San Diego Mojo, where she ranked third in the league with 932 assists and averaged 10.59 assists per set. She also contributed 270 digs and eight service aces over 88 sets.

International Experience: Nootsara joined the Thailand National Team at the age of 17 and has had an illustrious 20-year international career. She has won 10 Southeast Asian Games and two Asian Championships. Most recently, she was part of the Thailand team roster for the 2023 FIVB Road to Paris Volleyball Qualifier, where she tallied 42 assists over seven matches, including 15 assists in a match against Germany.